


Prelude to the Anthem

by synopsis



Series: Patriotic Duty [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, They weren't even dating, This is how Darcy and Steve got engaged, Thor makes a drink, Tony has a party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 06:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13969164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synopsis/pseuds/synopsis
Summary: All Darcy knew is that purple galaxy margaritas are delicious and that Tony apparently carries around engagement rings for no big reason.Or, the party that led to "Oh Say Can You See".





	Prelude to the Anthem

**Author's Note:**

> It's only been nearly two years since "Oh Say Can You See" posted. This one probably isn't nearly as funny but I had writer's block on my original fiction and decided to procrastinate in my traditional way--writing about Steve and Darcy. 
> 
> Here is the much requested Party short. Hopefully, it lives up to at least half of your expectations.

Prelude to the Anthem 

The bass of the music pounded through Darcy as she danced in the middle of the dance floor Tony had set up in the Avengers penthouse. She had no idea what time it was, but she did know that the party had started as a typical Stark Party and then shot to Asgardian-epic levels once Thor got behind the bar. 

Warning klaxons blared in Darcy’s head when Thor turned down Jane’s request for a drink but didn’t mind passing around a pitcher of booze to everyone else. Even Steve seemed to be smashed. It was kinda adorable. She may have taken photos.

Darcy had almost not wanted to drink the thing when Thor poured it into a glass. It was purple and blue and basically looked like a galaxy margarita. She wanted to paint her ceiling with it. Tony agreed and ordered the supplies.

The Avenger groupies had filtered out at some point. Darcy wasn’t exactly sure when, since they didn’t really talk to her. Sure, they talked around her, but it was mostly because Darcy was besties with all the cool people and bounced around between her friends happily slurping away at the galaxy margarita. 

She was pretty sure there was a top model she pissed off, coming from the glare she was sent after she distracted Steve from the conversation. Darcy couldn’t help herself, Steve’s head was a perfect target for the red, white, and blue popcorn that had appeared. Plus, Clint had been helping her practice her aim. If Steve got annoyed, she could pass it off as combat-readiness training.

You know, if it was a bunch of adorable puppies that could be distracted by popcorn. Or trash pandas. Or Thor. 

So, she had a bit of a crush on the Captain. The model probably wasn’t that interesting anyway. Though, to be fair, Tony couldn’t abide stupid people, so she probably had an obscure degree on top of being gorgeous. 

Whatever. 

Darcy had the galaxy in her glass and music blasting, and a piece of patriotic popcorn was stuck in Steve’s perfect hair. She was good. 

“J-Man! Strobe lights,” Darcy shouted towards the ceiling. She had to keep her eyes close, else the room began to spin. “Hey, Janey-boo, I think I get what you were saying the other day about orbits and gravitational pulls and—and something else.” 

She didn’t hear if her friend responded but the strobe lights did come on. Sometimes all Darcy needed was a good drink, good music, and strobe lights. 

Someone bumped into her and she cracked an eye open, scowling at the laughing archer. He winked at her as he drug Nat around on the dance floor. 

“I don’t know why you put up with him,” Darcy said. 

“Someone has to keep him from building a nest,” Nat’s voice was smokey and Darcy could hear it easily over the music. It was some Russian assassin trick she bet. 

Darcy lifted her drink, her lips struggling to find the straw. She pulled it away from her, and with a frown, studied it closer. 

“The galaxy is gone,” Darcy said with harsh accusation. 

The glass didn’t respond. 

Darcy walked over to Thor, who was sitting with a sleepy Jane in his lap. Steve sat across from Thor, his glass half full, and Tony stood, telling some story.

“Yeah, Tony, I bet it was great,” Darcy interrupted much to technically-her-boss’s annoyance. “Thor, I need more of the galaxy.”

“Lady Darcy,” Thor said—how the hell did he still sound all majestic while clearly toasted? “The Svidmadra has been consumed.”

Darcy peeled her eyes at Thor and looked at Steve, with puppy eyes. “Are you going to finish the “Sv-Svidme—galaxy drink? Wait, where’d obscure Ph.D. go?”

“She had a Ph.D.?” Steve asked, looking like a confused puppy dog. “I do not look like a confused puppy dog.”

Oops. 

“You do,” Tony said. “And no, she did not. Though she definitely had some d’s. Wait, I didn’t say that. No one tell Pepper I noticed her breasts.”

“Whatever,” Jane piped up, “Darcy’s are bigger anyways.”

“Yes, they are,” Darcy said proudly. “So, Steve. Steve my man, my friend. Steve-o. Let’s talk.”

Steve held his drink away from her as she made grabby hands, laughing and shaking his head. “Nope. This is my galaxy. Not big enough for the both of us.” 

A realization formed in Darcy’s mind at that moment. It was a great realization. It could make her a super villain. Did it make her one? Whatever, it was worth it. 

Drunk Steve couldn’t be as awesome as Captain and Darcy had waaaay more experience being Drunk Darcy than Drunk Steve did. She could take him. 

She ignored the shouts from around her and the panicked eyes of Steve as she lunged for his drink. Darcy clambered onto the couch after the laughing Steve, his humor spurring her determination. She pushed onto the man, her crush forgotten in the quest for the galaxy. 

She would have succeeded too if her dress didn’t catch on Steve’s knee, holding her back.

And, you know, her arms were longer so she wasn’t scrabbling at Steve’s elbow as he easily held the drink out of reach. 

Steve was laughing so hard he was wheezing. It was insulting. 

Darcy poked him in the chest. The very large chest. The very large chest she admired in the gym. The very large chest she admired in the gym that she was now pressed up against. “Stop laughing.”

“Darcy,” Jane giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hands. “Maybe you should go to bed.”

Darcy pouted, turning her eyes to Tony. “But bossman isn’t going to bed, so I gotta stay awake.”

“Don’t look at me, pipsqueak,” Tony said, holding his hands up. “You bitch at me all the time about my sleep habits.”

Darcy crossed her arms and looked at Steve, remembering that she was now straddling his lap and his face was very close to her own large chest. “Steve, I’m an adult.”

“Yes,” Steve said, wary.

“Can I please have the rest of your drink,” she asked. 

Steve seemed to consider it. “Will you go to bed after?”

“You drive a hard bargain but I accept,” Darcy held her hand out for the drink. Steve relented and she sighed as she sipped at the purple galaxy. She should really learn to make this but it probably was too expensive of an alcohol on her lab manager salary.  
A familiar beat came over the speakers and Darcy squealed, sucked down the rest of the drink, and stumbled off of Steve’s lap. “I love this song.”

“You said you’d go to bed,” Steve protested.

“I didn’t specify when, just after some time,” Darcy argued, wobbling on her heels. Why was she wobbling? They were kitten heels. Whatever, she had strong ankles. 

Darcy shouted as her feet disappeared from underneath her and she scrambled to hold on to Steve, who appeared at her side. No, he was why her feet were now in the air. He was holding her. 

“You need to go to sleep, Darce,” Steve said. His eyes were really freaking blue. 

“No, I need to dance to this song, Steeeeve,” she tried to argue. She wasn’t going to admit that she probably shouldn’t have finished his drink. Darcy began pushing at him. “Let me down, Captain. You should really respect me as a super villain, you know.”

“When did you become a super villain?” The poor man sounded genuinely confused.

“When I attacked you for the galaxy, duh,” Darcy said. Somehow in her wiggling and climbing, she had ended up over his shoulder. The angle of his ass was just as good from above as behind. She kicked her feet, refusing to be distracted. “Lemme go!”

“I’m taking you to bed,” Steve said, a bit of Captain in his voice but a whole lot of laughter too. 

“I may be a super villain now but I can’t defile America’s sweetheart by going to your bed!” Darcy cried out, horrified. 

“I meant your room,” Steve answered. “But my room is closer.”

“Steve, no,” Darcy said. “You can’t take a woman to bed who isn’t your intended. I'm not sleeping in your bed without being at least engaged as to preserve the sanctity of a national icon!”

“I knew it,” Tony said, drawing the remainder of the party’s attention. Thank Thor it was only the Avengers, minus Brucey-Bear. Tony leapt over the couch, his $700 Valentino pants surprisingly stretchy. He had a small box in his hand, a suspiciously recognizable color of blue. “I knew this would come in handy one day.”

“Uh, Tony,” Darcy asked, “Where were you keeping that?”

“Around,” Tony waved away the question. “What matters is that I had it.” He tossed the box to Steve, who caught it with one hand and flipped it open. Darcy pressed against Steve’s back, trying to peer over his gorgeous but huge-in-the-way head. 

She let out an oof as Steve pulled her back into his arms and slid a ring on her finger. “Oh, shiny. Darcy likes.”

“Good, now you can go to bed,” Steve said, tossing the box back to Tony who seemed disappointed. 

“Wait,” Darcy realized why Tony was disappointed. “You didn’t even ask me!”

“Darcy cupcake-lover, unofficial princess of Asgard, protector of all things adorable Lewis, will you marry me?”

“I guess if that’s what it takes to get some sleep around here, Captain Tight Pants,” Darcy said grinning. “Sure.”

Tony had the biggest shit-eating grin she had ever seen, and he was taking a picture of them but whatever, she was distracted by the ring. It was huge. But also like, really pretty and definitely her style. Also her size, which is pretty awesome because she knew she didn’t wear the same size ring as Pepper. 

The silence of the elevator brought her back to the present. 

“You’re really warm, Steve,” Darcy said and snuggled closer to him. And if she sniffed his shirt and realized he was wearing the cologne she had bought him randomly two months ago? She might have swooned a little. 

“Hanging in there, Darce?” 

“Yup,” she popped the p. 

It was as if she blinked and he was carrying her into his suite. “Did you use your super speed?”

“Uh, what?” Steve asked, setting her down on her feet, catching her by the waist when she wobbled. She waved him away, slipping off her shoes and padding towards his bedroom. Ugh, her dress was adorable and made her feel super sexy, but she’d kill for her yoga pants right now. Her ring caught her eye and she smirked as she began rifling through Steve’s dresser.

“Holy shit dude, you’re like, super tidy,” she observed. “I need the Steve-treatment on my closet. I still basically live out of my laundry basket.” 

Steve watched with a bemused smile, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Never seems to be a problem. But what are you doing?”

Darcy turned her head so quickly her hair bobbed around her face; she had to spit out a few curls that stuck to her lips. “I can’t sleep in my dress, obviously. And since we’re now engaged, I get full run of your wardrobe.”

“Obviously,” Steve answered, dryly before pushing off the door frame. “If you need anything, I’ll be on the couch.” 

Darcy gasped. “I can’t make Captain America sleep on the couch. Or even Steve! Plus, we’re engaged so it’s obviously okay. Anyways, it’s a bed the size of America. We’ll be fine.” 

“I don’t know about that,” Steve hesitated and she made a noise. 

“Whatever,” she turned her back towards him, pulling her hair to one side. “Unzip me, I can’t reach. I have big boobs and tiny arms, rawr.” 

She wasn’t expecting the chills his touch caused, so of course, she ignored them and grabbed a pair of sweats she found next to the shirt she had purloined. “Here, go change. I’m going to go do a belly flop on that comfortable looking mountain of pillows and blankets.”

Darcy didn’t hear Steve leave, but slipped out of her dress and into his shirt. It was nearly as long as her dress and she giggled. She stood next to Steves bed and realized it was too high for her to flop on to effectively. She eyed his side table and, when she had one foot on it, felt strong arms around her waist. 

“Nope, no climbing the furniture Darce,” Steve said, his mouth muffled by her hair. 

“I wanted to flop!” Darcy protested, slapping at his hands before she let out a yelp as he tossed her into the pile of blankets. “Oh, that was so much better. But now the world is spinning. You have so many blankets, this is fantastic. I’m stealing your bed.”

“Well, you are a super villain,” Steve said as he laid on the edge of the bed. 

“Yup,” she agreed. “Dude, I don’t have rabies. You don’t have to sleep on the literal edge. I promise not to attack you.”

Steve only moved slightly from the edge and Darcy sighed. “Fine, but remember you drove me to this—” Darcy pushed up against Steve, flinging a leg over his and an arm over his chest, “—oh my god, why are you wearing a shirt?”

“Because I’m going to sleep?”  
Darcy pushed up to look at him and she could have sworn he was blushing. “Steve. No, you can’t do this to me. We’re engaged. You’re not allowed to sleep with your shirt on. Just, no.”

Steve stared at her. Darcy stared back. Steve stared. Darcy picked at his shirt. Steve sighed and sat up, reaching behind his head and pulling his shirt up and off before laying back down with an umph. 

Darcy grinned. “I’m such a good super villain.” 

“Whatever you say, Darce,” Steve said, throwing an arm over his eyes. “Lights off, Jarvis.”

Darcy snuggled up against his chest. Seriously, he was a space heater. She needed a sweater made out of him or something. She didn’t take any Advil or drink water like she normally did after a night of drinking. Darcy sure as hell hoped she didn’t wake up with a hangover. Because the way the room was spinning, she was pretty sure that galaxy Svidmadra stuff packed a hell of a punch. 

She still couldn’t help drunkenly wondering why Tony had been apparently carrying around an engagement ring. Huh. She’d have to ask Jane or Nat.


End file.
